'I admitted to a crime I never did', says man guilty of defrauding his own son
A man who pleaded guilty to gambling away his son’s cancer funds says he only admitted to the crime to avoid prison.
A magistrate said Ryan Debattista and his partner had “shamelessly” betrayed the trust of the people who had raised €35,000 for his son’s treatment.
Debattista and Nicole Bezzina had exploited the generosity of altruistic people and friends to bankroll their gambling addiction, losing all the money in the process, said Magistrate Donatella Frendo Dimech.
But in comments hours after the judgment, Debattista said that they had “never” gambled money donated to them - but had no way of proving it.
“I had my back against a wall. So I admitted to a crime I never did, just so that I don't go to prison,” Debattista told Times of Malta.
Debattista and Nicole Bezzina, 27, pleaded guilty to defrauding their own son as well as other people who donated money for his cancer treatment, as well as to money laundering.
The couple had welcomed the generosity of individuals, companies and even Malta’s professional football community, who all donated money to help the family out as their young son got cancer treatment overseas.
A post on Debattista’s own Facebook page shows that the...